Det Norske Veritas (DNV) has IMO-approved a biological sewage treatment plant from Gertsen & Olufsen (G&O), a Scandinavian developer of advanced oxidation sewage treatment systems targeted for ships and offshore use.
The revised guidelines on treatment of black water, IMO MECP 159(55) Resolution, comes into effect on January 1, 2010. As the resolution entails new and significantly stricter standards, it represents a massive challenge to shipbuilders and designers. The guidelines apply to sewage treatment plants on ships of 400GT and above as well as on smaller ships certified to carry a crew of more than 15.
"Our bioreactor represents the next generation of biological sewage plants and is designed to handle all kinds of human wastewater from any vessel or offshore platform," said Thorsten Larsen-Seul, Managing Director of G&O.
"On top of now being on par and even better than the 2010 guidelines, the plant is as environmentally friendly as they come. It works with UV-light sterilisation and uses no chemicals in the process."
The sewage treatment plants, developed and manufactured in Denmark, have been installed in over 250 different configurations on ships with the Royal Danish Navy and Maersk.
"The central element of the system is a rigid matrix which provides an excellent growth environment for our bacteria media," said Jakob le Fevre, Sales Director of G&O. "By using the matrix-construct ,the bioreactor is endowed with a 150 times larger internal surface than its traditional sewage treatment plant counterpart."
Mr le Fevre added that the plant requires very little maintenance and uses no consumables and that the system is therefore attractive to ship owners with focus on total cost of ownership.
"The bioreactor can handle both black and grey water, the latter including complete degradation of organic matters including fat and grease. A sewage treatment plant including a bioreactor tolerates organic and hydraulic shock and peak loadings," continued Mr le Fevre.
The bioreactor is purpose-built to handle wastewater from six to an indefinite number of persons. Due to its design, the reactor has a small footprint and limited weight. It can be delivered in mild coated steel, stainless steel, and in Duplex. Besides the range of tailor-made standard units, split versions which are ideal for retrofits are produced according to the ship owner's demand.
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